Keys to the Heart
by Tigoldbitties
Summary: One-shot. Sam has a few special birthday surprises for Andy.


Hey everyone! A huge sorry to svugirl25 to start. This was meant to be for her birthday, but it ended up being written like 4 months late. Hopefully you guys enjoy this cute little one-shot. I really enjoyed writing it, and a massive thanks to svugirl for helping me out as always, you're amazing! Also, she has made a Valentine's Day video, make sure to go check it out, it's such a perfect video. See it at: vimeo*dot*com*/*86766796. And it'll be on YouTube this afternoon, go to SVUrookies to see it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rookie Blue or any of it's perfect characters (sadly).

Let me know what you think!

* * *

Sam squinted his eyes while looking at the small digits on the measuring cup in front of him. Glancing to the right, he continued to read the recipe for a simple chocolate cake – or what he thought was 'simple'.

Dropping the plastic cup to the counter, he rubbed his eyes and let out a loud, frustrated groan.

Baking was something he was _not_ good at.

Cooking was a little different. He could whip up a good steak and vegetables dinner just as easy as he could breathe. But cupcakes, cake, banana bread, and all that...stuff…he was absolutely _terrible_ at. Although Andy had burned the cake for her housewarming, the truth is that if it had been him making the cake, she probably wouldn't have had an apartment to have a housewarming at.

Not wanting to risk another fire, he quietly waltzed into Andy's bedroom and leaned against the doorframe. Andy was sitting up against the head of the bed, munching on a chocolate bar and scowling at the bad selection of shows on TV. As he watched her huff loudly before she shoved the whole bar in her mouth and chewed it like she was starving, a smirk appeared on his face. He loved watching his girlfriend when she didn't know he was around.

He didn't intend for the thought to seem stalker-ish, but it was in those moments that he got to witness the raw beauty of the Andy McNally that very few had the privilege to see.

She finally became aware of his presence when she was searching around the bedroom for her phone and suddenly caught his eye. Her body perked right up and a large smile adorned her face. She stared at him with sparkling eyes and spoke in a voice full of happiness. "Hi. How's the baking going?"

Sam's shoulders slumped, and he rubbed a hand over his hair.

"You need me to help?" Andy asked humorously, jumping off of her bed and skipping to Sam. When he didn't answer, she raised an eyebrow and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Do you need my help?" she asked again.

"Kinda," he murmured.

Andy's grin got even larger than before. She pressed a big, sloppy kiss on his cheek and pushed past him to the kitchen. Sam exhaled deeply and dragged his feet to follow her.

"Well," Andy started, when she saw him walk in. "I see the flour is in the bowl. That's a good start."

Sam glared. "Shut up. I tried."

"I know," Andy said sincerely, giving him another kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

Sam gave her a large, dimpled smirk, and laid a kiss on her forehead. "I got stuck with the sugar. It says a half a cup, but you only have a one cup...thing," he mumbled, gesturing towards the measuring cup on the other side of the counter. "And I wanted to make sure it was exactly half but it's basically impossible to make sure it's _exactly _half, so I got frustrated," Sam grumbled.

Andy sighed and shook her head. "It doesn't need to be perfect, Sam. You just need to be close, I guess."

"But," Sam began. "I wanted this cake to be perfect. I know how important birthdays are to you." When Andy wrapped her arms around his neck, he wrapped his around her waist and rested his cheek against hers. "And you shouldn't have to help make your own birthday cake."

"It would've been perfect, no matter what you did, Sam," Andy said. "But…" She pulled away and turned around. "You can't have a birthday without cake," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"So…" She looked at Sam, pushing him towards the fridge. "Can you get the eggs?"

Sam stopped himself and twisted back to Andy. "What? No," he argued. "I'm still making it; you just have to help me a little bit." Andy's eyes widened for a second, and she lifted her hands in surrender.

Stepping away from the counter, she directed her hands towards the bowl. "Go ahead," she said easily, placing her hands behind her back. Sam slyly passed her and stoodin front of the counter.

Andy smiled and opened her fridge, grabbing a carton of eggs and setting them on the counter next to Sam. She looked over to see her boyfriend carefully measuring out half a cup of sugar.

There was no doubt in her mind that she loved this man.

"How come you're looking at me like that?" Sam asked, taking the sugar and dumping it into the bowl.

How he knew what she was doing without even looking at her was beyond Andy.

"Because I love you," she shrugged. "And I'm really happy you're _attempting_ to make me a cake." She bounced on her toes with giddy excitement.

"Attempting," Sam muttered, shaking his head. "Look, I'm gonna get this cake done, okay? You just gotta give me a chance," he advised. "And maybe a little guidance when I need it."

"I know you will," she agreed. Lightly walking toward him, she enclosed her arms around his back, resting them on his stomach and giving his shoulder blade a firm kiss. "But can you make sure it's edible?"

"Andy!" Sam chastised. Andy laughed loudly, squeezing his mid section tighter against her. Sam smiled at the feeling of her arms enveloped around him. He couldn't imagine being here with anyone else. "Now go," he said. "I got this covered until I need your help again."

"So, did you need me just around the corner so I can get here quicker? I mean, because of the amount of times I'm gonna be coming in here, I'd rather not have to walk all the way from my bedroom to-"

"I swear..." Sam muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a deep breath. "Go away," he moped.

Laughing throatily, Andy planted a wet kiss on his cheek and pranced out of the kitchen, plopping herself down on the couch in the living room. She heard a faint "You're lucky you're cute," coming from the kitchen.

"McNally," Sam called 30 minutes later. "I need some help."

Andy grinned and turned off the TV. After standing up, she raised her arms above her head and stretched out her back. With a large smile on her face, she couldn't resist teasing him. "What do you need help with this ti-"

She was cut off by Sam's strong arms grasping her thighs and hauling her over his shoulder. "What the...Sam!" she giggled, hitting his back lightly. "What are you doing? Put me down!"

Sam clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Sorry sweetheart, no can do."

Andy huffed. "It's my birthday though," she tried. "So?" Sam laughed and shook his head again, carrying her into the kitchen. Dropping her down onto the counter, he stood between her knees and rested his hands on her sides. "What do you need help with?" Andy repeated her question.

"Nothing," Sam shrugged. "I was bored in here all by myself waiting for the cake to finish."

Andy peered at the oven. She was surprised to see that he had actually done it all by himself. Looking back at him, she couldn't help but feel like the luckiest woman on the earth.

Sure, he had some trouble trying to make a cake, but he was the first guy that she had ever been with that even considered making her a cake, let alone actually making her one.

"So why didn't you just sit on the couch with me?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because," Sam drawled, reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "There's a game on. And when there's a game on, Sam gets 0 attention, and the game gets 1000." Andy stared at Sam unapologetically.

"Maybe you should be a bit more entertaining." When Sam smirked, Andy gave his shoulder a shove. "Get your head out of the gutter, pal."

"Sorry," he muttered, shamelessly. Andy reached out and brought their heads together, kissing him soundly on the lips. "What time is everyone getting here tonight?" Sam inquired.

Andy groaned and rested her forehead on Sam's shoulder. "I love our friends, but is it kinda mean that I just want to spend my birthday with you?"

Sam kissed her ear and then wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I don't blame you. Who wouldn't want to spend their birthday with me?" he asked, gently rubbing his hand up and down her back. After hearing Andy scoff, he couldn't contain his dimples from popping out of his cheeks. "They'll only be here for a few hours, then they'll go, and you'll have me all to yourself."

"I'm regretting admitting that to you," Andy mumbled, pulling away from his shoulder and looking at him through narrowed lids. "Must've been a huge ego boost, huh?"

"You know it," Sam joked. "I did actually ask you to come in here for a reason."

"Ask?" Andy screeched. "More like kidnapped me from the living room and threw me onto the counter."

"Kidnapped you," Sam murmured, shaking his head. He was just about to talk again when the timer for the cake went off. "Awesome timing," he sighed. Stepping away from Andy, he bent down and appraised the cake through the glass, silently applauding himself on the fact that it did actually look like it was edible. He opened the oven door and reached for the skewer on the counter to see if it was ready.

"Look good, chef?" Andy called from behind him. Sam chose to ignore her and gave himself an internal pat on the back when the skewer came out with nothing on it. He grabbed the oven mitts and pulled out the cake, placing it on the stovetop.

"We're gonna need to make the icing soon," Sam said. He threw the mitts on the counter and made his way back to Andy. "You gonna help me?"

Andy raised her eyebrows. "Do I have a choice?"

"Not really," he replied, opening the cupboards next to her to get out another mixing bowl.

Watching him work in her kitchen with ease was one of the most heartwarming things to see.

Andy slid from the counter and got out the rest of the ingredients. "Is the icing gonna be chocolate, too?"

"Seeing as you're such a chocolate junkie..."

"Yeah, that was a silly question," she said under her breath. Putting the ingredients next to the bowl that Sam had gotten out, the two started to make the icing.

"So, why did you want me in here?" Andy asked after a moment of silence.

Sam shook his head and continued mixing. "I'll tell you when we're done putting this on the cake; it shouldn't take too long."

"Kay," she agreed easily. Like a giddy child, Andy stuck her finger in the bowl and got out a large amount of icing, plunging it into her mouth. "Oh my gosh," she sighed. "That's so good. I think I could just have icing…don't worry about the cake."

Sam snorted. "No way. I baked the cake; you're gonna eat it. Even if it tastes horrible and no one else wants to eat it, you have to," he joked, turning to her and giving her a grin.

"If Oliver can't eat it, then no one can, Sam," she teased.

Leaning back against the counter, she crossed her arms over her chest and switched her eyes to Sam. She slightly tilted her head and watched him focus on the contentsin the bow. It took him a moment to realize she was staring, but when he looked at her, he saw her eyes glazed over and a look of sheer contentment lacing her features.

"Andy," he said gently, dropping the spoon in the bowl and lightly shaking her shoulder. Andy blinked and shook her head quickly before looking at Sam curiously. "You okay?" he asked with a tense laugh. "What's going on in that gorgeous head of yours?"

What was going through her head? How lucky she was to have him. How amazing it was to have him in _her_ kitchen, baking _her_ a cake for _her_ birthday. How it took them forever to get to where they were, but how she wouldn't change any of it, because they finally sorted out their crap and now they're happy.

They're the happiest that they've ever been.

"Nothing," she spoke softly. "Just…I love you."

Sam grinned. He would never get tired of hearing her utter those words. The feeling of not knowing whether or not he was going to hear them from her again was probably one of the scariest things he had ever experienced, including the multiple life or death situations he had been a part of.

"I love you, too."

"Good," Andy sighed sarcastically. "It'd be kinda embarrassing if you didn't," she joked, bumping his hip with hers. "You should taste the icing; it's awesome."

Sam dipped in his finger and almost brought it to his mouth before he noticed Andy was wiping something off her pants, not paying attention to him.

"Hey McNally," he said huskily. As Andy's head whipped up, he wiped the blob of icing on her nose.

"Sam!" she whined, scrubbing it off with the sleeve of her sweater. Not one to let him have the last laugh, she hurriedly swiped a bit of icing onto her finger and smeared it across his cheek. She immediately realized that he probably didn't appreciate that, and her eyes widened as she quickly surveyed his face. She saw Sam staring at her with his mouth agape. "You started it!" she defended, backing away slowly, trying as hard she could to not let the grin she was suppressing escape her lips.

"Do you want another food fight, McNally?" he asked teasingly. He took a few, slow steps toward her and a wicked, but adorable smirk reached his cheeks.

"The answer to that is a big fat no," she said bluntly, spinning on her heel and scurrying to the living room, all the while letting her laughter ring out through the apartment.

The sound of Sam's footsteps could be heard behind her as she ran. Turning to her left, she ran between the coffee table and the couch, and before she knew it, she felt strong arms wrap around her mid-section, tackling her onto her couch.

"Sam!" she screeched, giggling happily.

Sam landed on top of her, resting himself on his forearms. With one quick rub, the icing from his cheek was transferred onto hers, and Andy pouted. Sam began to dig his fingers into her sides, eliciting more laughter from Andy.

He tickled her sides, while feverishly kissing at her cheeks and neck to make her laugh even louder than before.

He wouldn't be surprised if her neighbors called the cops with a noise complaint.

"Stop," Andy said, still giggling manically. She didn't even try to push him away. She wanted to cherish these moments. "My stomach," she breathed, draping her arms around her aching muscles.

Sam smirked and leaned his mouth into hers, placing a long, lingering kiss on her lips. Andy's erratic breaths suddenly halted, and her breathing became normal again. _The power he had over her was unreal._ Her mind was going ninety miles a minute with that thought.

His fingers retracted from her sides, gliding up to her cheeks to cup her face. His thumbs traced the apples of her cheeks, loving the feel of the smoothness of her skin under his rough fingers.

When he pulled away, Andy's big, doe eyes met his, and she gave him a smile of fulfillment. Letting him know that she wanted to be there, and she was happy to be with him, lying on the couch, being tickled like crazy by him. She yearned for him to know that she was the happiest that she'd ever been.

"So," Andy began, binding her arms around his shoulders, playing with the short tendrils at the base of his neck. "You still didn't tell me why you wanted me in the kitchen in the first place."

Sam placed a quick kiss on her forehead and reached into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling out a while piece of paper. Sitting up, he tugged her along with him so they were facing each other.

"Here," he said simply, holding out the folded paper. Andy eyed it curiously then shifted her eyes to Sam. He nodded and pushed the paper closer to her, and she hesitantly took a hold of it. Unfolding it, she giggled when she saw it was upside down. Turning it around, she read his handwriting. Her heart warmed, and her stomach fluttered with each word she read.

_You know you have the keys to his heart when you have the keys to his truck._

"Sam," she murmured, slightly dropping the paper. Tilting her head up, she came face to face with a box. Andy's shoulders relaxed, and she let out a sigh, feeling the sting of tears at the back of her eyes.

"If this cake turns out to be better than edible, I guess I could say you have the spoon to my heart," she chuckled, trying to alleviate some of the tears. Sam's own chuckle joined hers, but his facial expression quickly transitioned back into a serious one.

"I was such an idiot to ever take these back in the first place," he started. "And I knew, even back then, that you had the keys to my heart, I did…and that's why I gave them to you. Then you told me you loved me, and I definitely knew that giving you those keys was the smartest decision I'd made in a pretty long time. And I wanted to say it back, but I was too scared. I was stupid for not telling you how I feel."

"Sam, we've been over this," Andy stated.

"I know," Sam breathed. "I know, but I just want _you_ to know that I love you, with everything in me. And that I have never and will never love anyone more than I love you. And as long as you're happy, and you're still loving me, then I know that I'm going to be okay."

Andy's heart melted even further at Sam's admission.

Taking her hand in his, he turned her palm up and placed the box in her hand, folding her fingers over the top. "I love you," Andy whispered.

"I love you, too," he replied, kissing her forehead once more. He wasn't missing the chance to say it back this time.

She opened the box and pulled out a silver, rectangle-shaped keychain that had two keys attached to it. After running her fingers across the top, she flipped it over andrealized there was an engraving on it.

_I__'ve never loved you any more than I do in this moment, and I'll never love you any less._

_Partners forever._

_-Sam._

As the tears filled her eyes and her fingers slid over the words in awe, she swallowed the lump in her throat. Raising her head, she gazed up into eyes that held love and sincerity. Though she tried to keep herself somewhat composed, the only thing her body could do was immediately mold to his. A few minutes later, spurred on by a level of security that she had never felt before, she let out a loud sigh of contentment, not even caring if he heard.

Several more seconds passed before she leaned back and continued her examination of the gift.

"What's this other key for?"

"It's the spare key to my apartment. I thought you would like to have it in case you ever need to get in when I'm not here," he said, looking at the keys as well. "You're not supposed to cry on your birthday, you know."

"They're happy tears," Andy reassured him, wiping at the droplets with her free hand. "Sam Swarek, when did you become such a romantic?" she quipped.

"When I finally found someone that made it worth the effort," Sam answered.

The tears in Andy's eyes replenished after she heard his honest words.

"And this quote," she said with amazement, moving her eyes back to the keychain. "It's gorgeous."

"Well, no matter when you read it, it will _always_ be true."

Folding her arms tightly around his neck, she let out a choked sob and kissed his ear. "Thank you."

"Happy Birthday, Andy," he whispered, slowly caressing her back.

Later that night, once all of her friends had finally left her apartment, she was embraced in Sam's arms, using his chest as her pillow. Sam was on the brink of sleep, his eyelids fluttering with each breath he took.

Andy watched him with wonder, realizing that she had found the one person who loved her more than they loved anyone else. Someone that would put her needs before their own, and would always be there for her, through thick and thin.

Looking over at her bedside table, Andy saw the outline of the new set of keys that were now joined by her old ones. She smiled to herself before turning back around and snuggling into Sam's embrace.

She had the keys to his heart, and he had, no doubt in her mind, the keys to hers.

* * *

...And that's it! Make sure to leave a review and let me know what you think.


End file.
